Pedro Taduran, the International Boxing Federation (IBF) minimumweight world champion, has set his sights on a unification bout against Oscar Collazo. The fight remains at the top of Taduran's wish list, as Collazo holds both the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and World Boxing Association (WBA) minimumweight belts.
Taduran's Priority: Collazo Unification
“If we’re able to get Collazo then it will be the priority. It still depends. I’ll choose Collazo because he has two belts,” Taduran stated. The Filipino champion is eager to add more titles to his collection and sees Collazo as the ideal opponent to achieve that goal.
However, Taduran acknowledged that negotiations could fall through. If his team cannot reach an agreement with Collazo, he is prepared to face Chinese brawler Dianxing Zhu, who recently became the mandatory challenger for the IBF title.
Zhu Earns Mandatory Status
Zhu secured his position as the mandatory challenger with a unanimous decision victory over Ian Abne in an action-packed IBF minimumweight world title eliminator. The bout headlined the “Fist of Fury X - The Eliminator” event, promoted by Fistco and Chao Sy International Promotions, held on May 9, 2026, at the Cebu Coliseum in the Philippines.
“They are still working on my fight. It’ll be around August or September,” Taduran said regarding his next bout. He also revealed that there is a possibility the Collazo fight could be included on the undercard of the highly anticipated rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. in September.
Taduran Confident Against Collazo
“I’m confident that I can beat Collazo if I have the right conditioning and training,” Taduran asserted. Despite his focus on Collazo, Taduran was impressed by Zhu’s performance and is eager to face him as well. “His style is to my advantage because I won’t have to chase him,” he explained.
Taduran and his manager, Cucuy Elorde, were special guests of veteran Cebuano boxing promoter Lorenzo “Chao” Sy at the event. The “Fist of Fury X” show also attracted several prominent figures in Philippine boxing, including four-division world champion Nonito Donaire Jr., two-division world titleholder Dodie Boy Peñalosa, longest-reigning Filipino world champion Donnie Nietes, and legendary boxing promoter Antonio Lopez Aldeguer.
